Poursuite, translation from French
by Sephora909
Summary: The young Meliell Sîdudur Lecomte integrates the B.P.R.D. at the price of her parent's death. This event will change her life and allow her to finally know happiness. How much will it cost her to know love ? NuadaxOC !
1. Chapter 1 Cérémonie

**Note : Thanks to InkNerd, the first three chapter are being corrected :D. If you're a native English speaker and you speak French and you want to translate the others chapters, please take a look at my profile.  
For those who are searching for Nuada, I'm sorry to say he's not in the first part which ended at chapter five. He makes his apparition in chapter seven.  
And I let every titles in French on purpose. French is good for you ;)**

**Reviews are welcome :D**

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**Part 1

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Chapter 1

Cérémonie

It was raining. A day like this one, it had to rain. The depressing gray rain which fell on her crowned it all. All seemed so blurred... so dark... so black... The ceremony was finished. She stayed alone, standing in front of the new grave of her parents, lost in the grief which went with the death of all loved ones. Were they dear to her, those parents who were and will never be here anymore? From now on, who would answer the tons of questions of which they were the only ones who held the answers?

Once again, she was behaving capriciously. She was thinking only about herself and those stupid questions. She hated herself when she was behaving this way. Of course she loved them. Of course she will miss them. They were her parents. Even if they had forsaken her at the age of five, they'll always remain her parents.

When she was five... There were things she forgot instantaneously. But there were some she'd never forget: how her parents left her in her uncle Félix's and her aunt Clotilde's care; how she began to be tormented by a flood of questions which prevented her from sleeping; how her cousins Denis and Clémence were born with only one year of gap; how they began to make her life a living hell; how she loved going to the empty apartment on the slightest occasion, and even when there were none; how she finally moved in there alone; how she devoured the numerous old books of the library of her parents, for entertainment during her long sleepless nights; how the questions came back more and more abundantly and how she managed to soothe most of them by noting down her slightest though; then, finally, how she left France, her natal country, for the first time to attend the burial of her parents, here, in the United States, where they had continued their life without her...

When he got out of the car, he let out a heavy sigh. He would need courage. Fortunately, he was rarely faced with this kind of mission. Nevertheless, this day was an exception. He wanted to deal with this task personally. Not that it pleased him. No, on the contrary, he feared it. But he felt that it had to be this way, if only to demonstrate respect for the person who suffered the loss of her parents.

He quickly found the one, he was searching for, standing alone in front of a new grave, letting herself being inexorably soaked by the rain which fell without respite. This young girl with surprisingly long hair was certainly the one he had been searching for. She hadn't heard him arrive. Proof that she was still in shock. He coughed to manifest his presence, but without success. So, he put a hand on her shoulder. Only then did she turn slowly to face him. And what he saw took his breath away.

The teenager who had been drawn out of her thoughts wasn't offended by his reaction. She understood the reason. Her eyes were red and swollen after having cried so much without rest. She hadn't slept for three days, that is to say, since she had learned of her parents' death. She had heavy rings under her dark brown eyes. The rain didn't sort anything out of the nightmarish picture of her face. Having soaked her from head to foot, the rain stuck her long black hair to her face of which the complexion was more pallid than usual. She was almost sure that if she saw herself, her behavior would be similar. In vain, she tried to regain human form, putting her hair back in its place. She didn't even succeed in producing the faintest of smiles. Not even a forced one. Her heart wasn't in it. Her heart was close to death. Anyway, her thought interrupter seemed to pull himself together.

"Miss Meliell Lecomte, I suppose. I'm Manning. I worked with your parents."

As if to justify himself, though she knew not where her parents worked, the man in suit showed her an identification card of the... B.P.R.D., which she just had time to read before he quickly put it away in his jacket.

"All my condolences," he added, reaching out to shake her hand.

"Nice to meet you," she answer with a little voice, shaking his hand.

"I'd like to have a talk with you... I think I could... Answer some of your questions. May I?"

"Of course."

"We better get out of this rain, before we catch a cold. We could take my car and go to where your parents worked. I'll explain to you what it is on the way."

Meliell acquiesced out of curiosity to see what she could learn from him about her parents. When they got into a car with darkly tinted windows, Manning began his explanations. He informed her about the B.P.R.D., in other words the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense, about what took place there and what was it used for. He tried not to shock her, but in view of the fact that the main subject was the paranormal and its fantasy creatures, enemies or even allies to mankind, it wouldn't have been easy for him if she were not that open minded.

Indeed, thanks to her parents' library, from which emanated a certain passion for the fantasy world, she had begun to accept this idea that trolls, dwarfs, elves, and other creatures actually existed. Thus, she learned that the job of her parents was to protect mankind from other kinds, and to impose order between the "real" world and the "fantasy" world. From what Manning told her of this job, she could deduce that it was not the best environment to bring up a child because of the constant danger level. Therefore, she began to guess some answers to her numerous questions.

However, the sketch faded away as the car came to a stop in front of the Bureau. It was plain to see that they arrived in a governmental area. Servicemen mounted guard outside with dogs, and inside Manning had to go through unnumbered controls of all kinds like in Hollywood movies. In short, a real assault course. But the worst in all that was...the air-conditioning. As Meliell was still soaked because of the shower she had taken right in the face, she was afraid she might catch a cold. Besides, it didn't take her long to sneeze. If the following day she woke up with a cold, her anger would be calmed only by a murder. There wasn't anything worst than catching a cold during summer.

Funnily, it seemed as if Manning reacted to her wordless threat, as he asked immediately someone to bring him dry clothes belonging to a certain Elizabeth. It was without doubt because of her face which was a little too much expressive and betrayed her slightest emotions and thoughts. It allowed everyone to read her like an open book. But never mind, at least for now, she'd have dry clothing, and that was a step ahead. It didn't matter to know who they belonged to, Meliell enjoyed swiping other's threads, particularly men's ones.

When they sat in his office, Manning resumed the discussion.

"If I led you here, it's because... I've a proposition to make to you."

"What kind of proposition?" she inquired, encouraging the civil servant who hesitated to go on.

"You know, if we want this place to stay a secret, the least people must know about it... and, hum, we'll have to tell you how your parents died... and... well, you're young, you may don't have a project for your future yet, so... I propose you a job here."

Her surprise was so great that Meliell felt her eyes opening immoderately wide.

"I'm sorry if I shocked you, it's so soon after your parent's death."

"Oh no. It's just that... I'm so surprised. It's...wonderful. I'd accept with joy," she reassured him.

"So, it's alright then. Well, let's see your file."

To her greatest astonishment, Meliell already had a file here at the B.P.R.D. Within the file there were information sheets, her school reports, the results of her baccalaureate, a paper version of a conversation with her aunt and her uncle from what she catch sight of among others papers. From those documents, they tried to find her a job which would suit to the newcomer. Immediately, it was apparent that she wasn't of the physical type like her parents, but rather, the intellectual type with a preference for the study of foreign languages. They were just beginning to talk about her problems of insomnia when an agent in a black suit, as so many she saw milling around in the hallways, came into the room. Just when he was about to explain his arrival, the cold wind produced by the opening door made the young girl sneeze.

"You should get dry and have a rest. We'll talk later. Here's your magnetic card to open the door of your room, and, if you lose it, the code is 73223. The agent behind you will lead you to your room." Then he added, speaking to the agent. "It's the room 65."

"Thanks for everything, Mr. Manning."

"You're welcome," he answered with a broad grin.

The way to her room together with the agent was icy. And not only because of the air-conditioning. It was fortunate for Meliell as she felt she was coming back to her usual taciturn nature after a so long talk. She was exhausted and much too busy picturing her future job. She only hoped they wouldn't use the fact she was under age as an excuse to stick her with the photocopier. She had already tried that job during work shadowing, and frankly, that machine didn't arouse the faintest hint of interest in her. Well, she didn't expect to be given an important employment which involved responsibilities. Still, she ardently hoped for something interesting that would have a connection with fantasy creatures. But maybe it was too much to ask? Anything but the photocopier. After that, she'd have to wait and see.

Outside the door of her future room, the agent finally opened his mouth, proof that he knew how to talk.

"Here's your room, use the card to open the door. And don't forget your clothes."

He gave the clothes to Meliell and left without the faintest form of politeness. Okay, people here, or at least the agents, were not warm (it was the least one could say), but did it really matter to her? For her, as long as she was left alone, she didn't mind. She like the quiet.

As soon as Meliell came into the room, without even detailing it, she collapsed onto her bed, totally drained of all her strength. The bed was a huge soft double whose colors matched the bedroom. Such a big bedroom for a single girl whom they didn't know what to do with. Moreover, it was already furnished. There was a wardrobe, a tall head-to-foot mirror, a desk and two wide bookcases, including one holding some books.

There were three doors, excluding the one leading to the hallway. One most probably communicated with the room next door, as for another one on the other side. The last door was ajar. Meliell deduced from the white tiled floor that it lead to a bathroom. The only thing missing was the mini bar, and she really would have thought she was in a five star hotel. Seriously, had the government really bought all that or was it the result of various seizures? Well, anyway, she didn't care that much, and it was given for free. She wouldn't grumble.

Meliell began to slip into the generously lent threads. She wanted to thank the person whom they belonged to. Was he an agent? So short? The clothes were a bit too small, hugging terribly her body. But complaining about it was quite simply out of the question. Of course she complained often, as the French were known for that, especially the Parisians. However, those were only empty comments, said wildly, never serious. She had slipped the t-shirt on and had taken off her black pants when she felt the sleep take her last strength. Suddenly, her head was spinning, sign that her body needed rest. So, she took off her other clothes and directly turned in, without paying attention to the fact that she was soaking her bed with her wet hair.

Morpheus, who usually had trouble to finding her, quickly took her to the land of dreams. Maybe it was thanks to the hope given by this new life, whose sad condition was the tragic death of her parents. Or maybe was it simply the exhaustion, which, after so much grief, finally produced its effect. Oh, and what was the use of finding a reason for the sleep? She was falling asleep, and that was all that mattered for the moment. Many things seemed to await her, but it would be better to be in form to face them.


	2. Chapter 2 Rencontres

**Note : First, I want to thank a lot people who read the first chapter and even more people who posted reviews and send me PM. I love you all.  
I'm sorry for making you wait all this time, but I had a lot of work to do beside the translation. I'll try to not do it again.  
I forgot to tell in the first chapter that what was in _italic_**** was something written or a song, and later you'll see some dialogs written in bold, it means it's in Gaelic. Oh, and here, I let you the passages when Meliell speak French, and of course I put a translation which is between brackets, that - (), just after the French. I should have done that for Mel's notebook because she writes in French in it, but it was too long (and technically impossible for chapter five which is only made of excerpts of her notebook), so if you want to see the French version, click to see my profile, the title is Poursuite too. But keep in mind that she writes in French, it will be important for chapter... Maybe 10 or 11, I've not written it yet. Yes, I know, you'll have time to forget it.  
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Chapter 2

Rencontres

When Meliell woke up, it was approximately over eight o'clock. It was strange, she hadn't noticed this clock hanging on the wall facing her bed, the day before. Nine hours ? What must lasted just the time of a nap had become an entire night. Good for her, she was so tired. At least, she slept well. It hadn't been happening for a long time. The only problem left was that her stomach was starving, for she had missed a meal. And about the discussion with Manning, if they really had needed to settle this matter at the earliest, they would have woken her up, which had not happened. Well... Now she should think of getting up... In a fit of courage, she pushed the duvet aside and sat down cross-legged on her bed.

As she saw her suitcases had miraculously appeared beside the door, she jumped of her bed. An envelope was stuck with scotch-tape on her belongings. Inside was a letter which said that her suitcases had been brought from the hotel room the B.P.R.D had booked (small detail which explained the how of the why, and that she had forgotten). The note specified also the lunchtimes and that the meals were served in the refectory. Then, she read she had an appointment with Manning at ten. So, she had plenty of time. But time for what ? Maybe she could ask for a breakfast, even if it was served only from six to eight o'clock. However, her stomach growled that it was not "maybe she could ask", but "she had to ask". The only problem was to... No, the problem was solved, there was a map in the envelope. But above all, she had to have a wash : her hair was so tangled that she didn't manage to run her fingers through her morning mane.

Hastened by her hunger, Meliell ripped open her suitcases and scattered their contents on the wooden floor. She slipped into her black baggy pants, a tight red t-shirt, and put on her black leather jacket because the air-conditioning still ran at full throttle. Then, she discovered the too big bathroom : there were a chest of drawers, a bathtub, a shower, a washbasin... In short, all. The vision of the five star hotel came back to her. After another carnage in another suitcase to find her toothbrush, she freshened up quickly.

Then, she prepared her belongings to go out. She nimbly packed into her shoulder bag a pencil case, her notebook of thoughts, her coin purse, her wallet in which the put the key of her room, and of course, the map. Hereupon, Meliell went to seek out her breakfast.

She didn't get lost in the hallways, but she bumped into some agents who were in a hurry. The refectory was huge, but deserted at this hour.

Obviously, the breakfast was self-service, and luckily, there was food left. Meliell hastened to pour herself a bowl of coffee and swallowed a banana within a record time. Then, the real explorations began.

Her map showed several places : most of them were offices, but there also was a garage, a shower room, a library, a gymnasium, a room to train with bladed weapons and another with firearms. The fact that there was a swimming pool surprised her. I reinforced the picture of community center that she had of this place. However, on second thought, the young girl realized that the swimming pool was surely used to train, and not play. Anyway, she loathed swimming pools. Too many bad memories of youth. She didn't like swimming. Without hesitation, she decided on the library, which was by far the most attractive place of all. And at least, she wouldn't feel out of place there : even if there was a horde of agents, she could take a book and read in a corner.

Some turns later, she was facing two huge floor-to-ceiling doors made of carved wood. For one moment, the idea of going back to her room crossed her mind. But it involved a bitter failure against a door, which is not really glorious. She got in theatrically, as in the cartoons. The two doors out of her way, she could admire the splendor of the library. She had never seen a so magnificent room which was not an historical place. It held its own against the most magnificent French castles the Parisian visited. The room was rather large, and richly decorated with golden or red shades as her bedroom. There were leather armchairs near small tables. At the far end, there was a hearth in which crackled a big fire, which warmed up the room despite the air-conditioning. In front of it was a CD player which seemed to be the only touch of technology. Behind, there was a second floor. Books, put away into huge shelfs, covered all the walls. And even from far, one could guess that they were old thanks to their leather binding. All that made a pleasant atmosphere, warm and welcoming. It was without doubt because of that, that no agent was there : they were so cold that they would melt if they opened the doors. Doubtlessly, Meliell would feel good here. Almost like at home. She was already imagining the sleepless nights spent in this library, devouring the tons of books.

The young girl moved toward the middle of the vast room and noticed a huge fish tank on her right. On front of it were four occupied books support. She neared it, and suddenly, a creature who was at the bottom of the tank put his hand on the window, startling her. He was a kind of of fish-man : man by his general appearance, but also fish by the presence of gills, the blue of his skin, and others details, notably his eyes.

"Ça, c'est du poisson d'aquarium." ("Wow, that's some fish.")

She only managed to articulate that before her mind was fully occupied by his fascination for this being out of the common. Manning had only briefly talked to her about the allied creatures and hadn't even specified that some of them lived here. So it was a good surprise to discover she wasn't going to be the strangest one in this place.

Abe wondered who was this young girl. From the way she was looking at him with her nearly black eyes, it was clear she didn't knew all about the B.P.R.D., and she had never seen him. What's more, she spoke French. He spoke this language too, but had never a real occasion to use this knowledge. This teenager had aroused his curiosity in the same fashion he seemed to have aroused hers.

Meliell tilted her head on the side, while she was loosing herself in her thoughts. However, the creature in front of her imitated her. The human, surprised, tilted her head on the other side, and once again, she was imitated. She would have thought she was in front of a mirror, but which gave a whole different appearance. Yes, she will like it here. Her smile already wide widen even more when an idea occurred to her : would this being understand her if she speak to him ? After all, he was reading books, so why not try ? So Meliell neared him again just a bit and attempted a little :

"Hum... Hello ?"

Then she also spoke English... It was rare that someone came to see him or wasn't scared at first sight by his appearance. The exception touched him. Maybe he could bound with her. Abe could not resist the curiosity which was devouring him.

A couple of seconds later, the creature made for the top of his tank. Had she scared him ? Anyway, this fish man swam in a very graceful way. Her exact contrary. Then she saw that actually he was getting ready to fish out of water. Finally, he was not scared at all and seemed more human than she had imagined. In spite of herself, she showed the typical reaction of a human being confronted to an unknown creature : the human always think he's above all. But of course, this effect of human nature didn't last long, especially when what she thought was a simple fish was in front of her on his two legs and talked.

"Hello, miss… ?"

"Lecomte. Meliell Sîdhdur Lecomte."

"Miss Lecomte. I don't remember having seen you already."

"It's because I'm new here. I just came yesterday in the evening."

"That's why you were curious about me. I'm Abraham Sapien. But you can call me Abe."

She vaguely wondered why he hadn't shake her hand when he introduced himself. She didn't insist, he surely had his reasons. Besides, it was strange to notice that even despite that and his amphibian half, he was more human than the agents.

"So it must be to you that Liz lent some clothes."

"Yes, I've left them in my room and… They're wet, but if she still want them back…"

"Don't worry about that, she told me they were too small for her… May I ask you why you're here ? You look young to work here. And you're not dressed as an agent."

"Hum… If Manning finds me a job I'll work here. But I don't know if he'll manage to do it : I'll come of age only in November and I've just came out of high school. So, I've an appointment with him at ten and… Well, we'll see."

Meliell didn't especially want to tell everyone about her parent's death. She didn't want to get onto this subject. She'd rather want to forget it.

"I'm sure he'll find you something to do. There's a lot of different kind of things you could do : reports to type, creatures to take care of, food to cook… What would you like to do ?"

"I don't know. I really don't know. As long as I can stay here, I would do anything."

"Well, I wish you good luck."

Abe went back into his tank. So, she will work here, without training... Strange. Suddenly, he remembered proceedings which could explain her young age... according to these proceedings, children whose parents died on a mission were offered a job at the B.P.R.D. So, her parents were... ? She hadn't told him about that. And even if it was true, he understood that she didn't want to talk about it. It was because of that, that he hadn't shake her hand. Some refused to touch him, for fear that the intimacy of their mind would be raped.

Anyway, she seemed to be charming, and Abe felt the need to protect her. Was it due to the fact that he suspected the loss of her parents ? Maybe. Maybe was it also simply due to her young age, or to the fact that she was a young woman, and that here, humans saw their life span shorten... Meliell Sîdhdur Lecomte... Lecomte was a very French name, but Meliell and Sîdhdur... Especially Sîdhdur. Strange name for a girl... It reminded him of another language, but which one ?

Meliell settled down in an armchair in front of the tank, she didn't dare settle in the chair behind the imposing desk. She got out her things, and began to write in her notebook of thoughts her firsts lines since her arrival in the United States.

"_19 July 2008 – Trenton, B.P.R.D._

_I come telling myself my life is screwed-up and wasn't worthy to be lived anymore, and finally I find a glimmer of hope. Well, that shows that, regardless, life was well made._

_Currently, I'm at the B.P.R.D. (that is to say, the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) and I've never felt so well being so far from home. I'm here for not even a day, and yet I already feel like a fish in the water... Or like Abe in the Water._

_Abe is really amazing : half-man half-fish, he's still more human than animal. He seem to be nice. I think he's someone with whom I could get along with. And that's saying a lot in view of my continuing unsociability. I feel like I'll have a social life here. People I've met until now thought I was too weird to go near me. Well, in fact, it was I who did it on purpose to stand aloof from people I knew just from sight I couldn't get along with them. As a result, those with whom I thought I could get along with avoided me too... Yes, I think my prejudices will get the best of me one day by dint of summoning them too much. But that's another story._

_I don't think Abe will bear me grudge if he if he thinks I'm weird. Between strangeness, I think we could manage to get along with each other. Or would I be too normal ? Well, we'll see._

_I wonder if there are other people like Abe. It would be great... It would be like a waking dream, being plunged into a fairytale populated of goblins, dwarfs, trolls, fairies, orcs, elves... I'd like to see a real elf. They're always described as good-looking and graceful. I'd like to see how true it is... Ah, and as they are, apparently, very respectful of nature, I'd like to hear their opinion about the question of ecology which is asked nowadays, it could be interesting... That makes a lot of "I'd like...""_

Meliell continued to make her pencil run onto the paper, when the doors opened. She winced because of the entrance totally opposed to hers, nearly violent. How she hated unexpected events... In full calm, she never managed to suppress a start. But this time, she didn't have the time to get worked up against herself : a huge red demon came into the room. Waouh... She was more and more fond of this place. What was more impressive after his bright red skin, was his horns, or at least what was left of them. Indeed, they were broken and what exceeded measured only a few centimeter. Lowering her look, she made out that the right hand of the demon was made of stone. Strange, she didn't remember having heard of demons of this kind. Lastly, she could easily imagined the muscles which were hidden underneath his black tight t-shirt. It sadly reminded her the fat which was underneath hers.

The red demon went straight toward Abe, without seeing her or without wanting to see her. The fact that he might have not seen her was quite probable. Since always, Meliell went unnoticed, nobody seemed to notice her presence or simply pay attention to her. How many time had she heard this sentence ? "sorry, I've not seen you" ? Enough to think she was an insignificant being. Not that it disturbed her. No, she was used to it, but it was annoying in the long run.

"Hey, Abe, ready for a shooting practice ?"

"Well, if you want."

"What motivation…"

Hellboy just had another argument with Liz. It was becoming commonplace at this time. It got on his nerves. He needed to take his mind off things. Shoot some bullets would make him feel good. If only Abe didn't need all this time to get out of this dammed tank ! Red heard a noise coming from behind him. Strange, he thought they were only two in here. So he turned around, and and saw a young girl seated in an armchair. Oh, it was just a kid. He transferred his attention on the tank, then... A kid ? He looked back at the intruder and scrutinized her. She wasn't dressed at all like an agent, and she seemed to be so frail. A kid among many. But what the heck was she doing here ?

"Who are you ?"

Meliell, delighted that the demon was interested in her, made her introducing speech again : full name and job opportunity. To which he replied :

"Manning employs kinds now ?"

"I'm not a kid, I'm nearly eighteen." She weakly stand up for herself, a bit surprised to be called a kid by a stranger.

"Anyway it's not very old."

Then Abe came to her rescue :

"Red, don't be rude : she's a newcomer."

"Alright, alright. Let's go, Abe."

Hellboy refused to argue again in a so short time. He put a stop to the discussion, leaving the library.

While the two creatures were leaving, Meliell put away her things messily and ran after them. For the first time for a long while, she felt like showing to someone what she was worth. Which was encouraging her to show sociability :

"Wait ! Can I come with you ?"

Both seemed to be surprised, which was understandable : it surely wasn't all the days that a kid proposed them to come with them to train. It was strange to her, this will of jointing people. She had broken this habit for so long. But she still would like to go, to show to the demon she wasn't just a simple kid who was good for nothing. One must say she had taken her cousins to so many carnivals, that she had reached over the years a level which seemed rather suitable to her at rifle shooting. And it was about time to know what really was this level.

"You know how to shoot ?" The demon inquired, skeptical.

"It must not be that hard, is it ?" She retorted, thinking he wouldn't take her seriously if she admitted how she had learned to shoot.

So, she defied him ? Her, a simple kid, dared defy a demon on an unknown ground ? Red liked that. She was fearless. He smirked at her and accepted the challenge :

"We'll see. Come on, kid."


	3. Chapter 3 Bouleversements

**Thanks for the seven reviews, it's really nice :D You know, each day when I check my e-mails I'm like a child "A review ! A review !" Remember, a review = happiness.  
On the last paragraph, there's a lot of songs mentioned, so I made a playlist : http : // www. deezer. com/ #music / playlist / 20128691 / 1661628  
Thanks for waiting also.  
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Chapter 3

Bouleversements

The shooting range was nearly empty by this time. Red quickly explained to Meliell how to use a gun. It pleased him to see she understood rapidly and she involved herself. Hellboy shot first and reached the forth circle from the middle.

"You think you can do better ?" He provoked her.

The young girl didn't become flustered because of that and caught the pistol Red threw at her. Taking her time, she aimed, shot, and reached the third circle. Usually, she didn't get away with familiarities with people she hardly knew, but now, exceptionally, Hellboy deserved this sarcasm.

"You were saying ?"

Abe, surprised by so much ease to shoot, complimented her. He would never have suspected such skill from a teenager who looked quite normal. The compliment made her blush. Abe thought she was lovely.

But the demon, ever if he was astonished too, reacted in a different way. He didn't accept the defeat against a novice so easily :

"How have you done that ? It's the first time you've touched a gun."

"Well, I often go to carnival with my cousins, and... I'm not bad at rifle."

"Yeah, you're lucky, that's all."

Meliell passed the weapon to Abe and he dropped it when their hands touched each other involuntarily. When the gun fell on the ground, it shot and the bullet reached the center of the target.

"To who do I give the points ?" Red asked as if nothing had happened.

"What happened ?"

Unlike Hellboy, Meliell worried about this incident. Not only because the gun could have killed someone, but also because Abe seemed to be stopped. As if he had been paused.

"That's... Interesting" He simply answered.

"What have you seen ?" Red asked.

"It was... Such a mess."

"Worse than my room ?"

"... Nearly."

In a split second, Abe hadn't had enough time to explore her mind in-depth, he just had a sketch. And what sketch : there was everything in this mind. Some important reflexion about the actual society, such as death penalty and capitalism. But others thoughts were mixed to them, without any link with the rest, like "why a man would like to wear a pink shirt ?" or "why couldn't she stand wearing socks of a color different from white ?". There was plenty of them, and so untidy, that he wondered how she managed to remain so calm.

Meliell understood none of what was going on and began to feel left out. For the first time, this feeling of being pushed aside annoyed her.

"May I know what's going on ?"

"I can read in thoughts by touching hands. And I can sense things, for example, if there's beings around, things like that."

"Oh..."

Here we went again, her eyes began to gleam of amazement again. She felt it would happen often. And she was delighted with it. Meliell began to wonder what Abe had read in her mind, but her reflexions were cut.

"Hey, kid, let the fish shoot. So I can take my revenge."

The three companions continued to shoot each one in turn. Red and Abe weren't bad, but Meliell managed to tie them without problem. Of course, Hellboy said his favorite weapon was his arm to justify the fact a neophyte beat him. And even if he didn't cease to call her kid, at least she was having fun.

The time to see Manning came too fast. And she wasn't the only one to think it.

"Damn ! Even when he's not here, this guy spoils my fun !"

While Red expressed what was on his mind, Abe suggested to the newcomer that he could go with her to Manning's office. She agreed to it with joy, for fear of getting lost, and because she wanted a comforting presence by her side rather than going through the austere hallways alone. When Hellboy finished to grumble, he jointed them.

She really liked these guys. Strangely, she felt good with them, whereas usually she preferred solitude. Her curiosity probably wanted to stay near them to learn a little more bout them. But more than that, it seemed to her that for once, she had found people she liked. People with whom she could strike up a friendship. Again a thing she hadn't felt for a long time : the need to share her life with friends. It was a strange feeling. But it was rather pleasant. She liked this lightly contradictory side.

Red knocked at the door, and when a voice coming from the inside authorized them to come in, he opened it. Well, in view of the fact that it was Meliell's interview, she should have come in first... But she feared so much to be said to leave after having seen to what extent this place appeared fantastic to her, that a little support was too good to pass up.

"Hey, Manning."

"What are you two doing here ?"

"We came with the kid."

"Have you found her a job ?"

When he heard Abe's question, Manning turned to the teenager, looking serious, nearly worrying.

"I... have not found something suitable for you..."

Oh no... So all her hopes vanished ? Yet, he added as if he was thinking out loud :

"But now that I see you three are getting along... It would be a huge responsibility... But due to what your parents have done for the B.P.R.D, I can not not give you a chance..."

Racked by an unbearable tension, she couldn't refrain from interrupting him :

"What would be this job ?"

"To look after him."

Saying that, Manning pointed at Red. Before the demon could protest, Meliell let once again her emotions go, and now it was the surprise :

"That's all ?!"

"It's not an easy job : you'll have to prevent him from being seen by people. You don't know how hard it is. We've done all we could and it hasn't changed anything."

"Jeez, I just want to live."

Before the argument went further, the young girl interrupted him.

"I accept the job" She announced firmly.

They all turned to her : Hellboy was visibly delighted, Manning was astonished and Abe was still as expressionless as ever. She was facing a nice sample of all the reactions that could produce such a determination to embark on a so unsafe way. But her decision was taken and nothing would change it. If she had to accept this job to say here, so she would. Getting out of the fairytale wasn't among her intentions. Not so soon. Not without trying. At the very worst, she would be fired and would go back to France. Just one more step before leaving. She had to prolong this step as long as possible.

"Welcome in the team kid."

Red gave her a little tap on the back to congratulate her. Unfortunately, it was the wrong hand, the one made of stone. The pain ran down her spine. It has a good beginning.

Manning seemed to be confused. Was it so hard to watch a big demon like this one ? Yes, well, of course, said like this... Nevertheless, he managed to explain he'll deal with all the paperwork, and he'll get hold of her uncle and aunt for administrative processes. Then suddenly, his face became gloomy. Following his look, Meliell understood then what had caused this sudden change of mood. A black folder bearing the cold name of "_Death of agents Lecomte Vivien and Clarisse_". A shiver ran through her whole body. Her blood chilled. She froze. A part of her tried in vain to struggle against the facts the other part faced : once again she would have to sink into the sadness of her parent's death. Her only comfort was the thought that this time would be the last one, the ultimate. She would know all the dreadful truth, the horrid reality in which her father, Vivien Lecomte, and her mother, Clarisse Lecomte, had lost their lives. Or rather, how their lives had been taken.

Without realizing it, the room had emptied. She was alone with the file. Summoning up her courage, she took the folder and sat on the floor, leaning her back on the desk.

"_Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense_

_File nº 7236377 (07/15/08)_

_Ref : "Death of agents Lecomte Vivien and Clarisse"_

_Lecomte Vivien (Born on the 03/16/66)_

_Lecomte Clarisse (Born on the 05/04/70)_

_The Lecomte's team was on the mission ref : "Werewolf around Seattle" (file n°7236243) since 06/26/08. As it is reported in this file, the mission was tough for one which involved a werewolf : the werewolf act alone and not in pack, plus he let no track after his murders. _

_On the 11th, the team finds a piece of purple cloth and a long blond hair on the last victim's corpse who has fought for his life. The analysis give no clue._

_One the morning of the 15th the corpses of the spouses Lecomte are found barely recognizable. The autopsy reveals they died the 14th around 11 pm, slaughtered by claws and fangs._

_We suppose they had discovered something that night and went to confirm its truthfulness. But the werewolf found them and killed them._

_The only clue we have found is the letter "N" written with blood by Clarisse Lecomte before dying."_

Dreadful. Meliell didn't found other word to explain her parents' fate. Quite simply dreadful. Hot tears flowed down her cheeks. They seemed to never be able to stop. Why had they had to go alone ? Why ? They might be alive now. Killed by a werewolf. No. Not killed. Slaughtered. Without any mercy. No remorse. And all that for what ? For a letter written in blood. Not even a tangible clue. No. Just an incomprehensible trace. Meliell was shattered by the grief in her heart. And a feeling of injustice exacerbated her anger.

Why it had to happened this way ? Huh, why ? It could have happened so differently if they had taken their team with them, if they had been better prepared, if they had had just a little more chance. But the whole world could be changed with some if. It had happened like that. But no one could do a thing about it. No one. Life went on for her. While it ended for others. Now the only thing she could do was to held her head high. And be proud of having had such brave parents.

Suddenly, a memory crossed her mind. It was her aunt. She confessed to her the only explanation her parents had given her before disappearing was that they were leaving to fight for the peace between people. Then the recollection stopped. She must have said that only a few rare times. Maybe she had feared her niece would leave too. This memory was buried, hidden, until now. Was it her who had locked it up in a corner of her head, like most of others traces which had been left by her parents in her life ? They caused her so much suffering. She preferred to forget about them. To move on better. With straight ideas. It was useless to sink into despair. Despair, for her, only generated despair. It led nowhere. But to suicide. Only happiness gave the strength to fight unhappiness. She believed firmly in it since always. And she even studied it last year at high school in philosophy.

That's why she decided to abandon the idea of hunting this werewolf. What would it do to help her ? Apart from killing her too. Vengeance... In what staining her hands with blood would ease her pain ? Indeed, it was unacceptable that the murderer was still at large. Not hounding him would go against what her parents believed in. Rendering him harmless would spare more than one life... Nevertheless, this mission didn't go to her. She would be incapable of completing it successfully. Later, if one day she reached the position of agent for the B.P.R.D., yes, why not ? Nothing would prevent her from doing so. She would have the necessary strength to face it. But that didn't stand a chance of happening. All she wanted for the moment, was to make the most of her new life here. With Abe and Hellboy. Nothing more. Then, she'll see.

Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow seems so far...

Meliell put the file down on desk and caught sight of an envelope which stuck out of a pile of papers. On it was written "_To Meliell Lecomte_". She hesitated to take it. Manning hadn't give it to her. But after all, he hadn't say something about the file either. What's more, the mail was clearly for her... She couldn't take any more, she opened it. Inside it was a letter, a ring and a necklace. She read the letter first.

"_Dear Meleill Lecomte,_

_My name is John Lodge, I was a friend of your parents. I was in their team on their last mission. I beg you to forgive me and my teammates for what happened to Vivien and Clarisse. If we could have done anything to avoid that, be sure we would have done it. I'm sure the void they left in our hearts is nothing compared to yours._

_I wrote this letter to give you Vivien's signet ring and Clarisse's necklace. Both are in gold and can be opened, you'll see by yourself what is inside. Your parents told us at the beginning of the mission that if they died, they wanted you to have the signet ring and the necklace. So they're yours now. Take care of them._

_I also want you to know that your parents were really great agents. You can be proud of being their daughter._

_Yours sincerely, _

_John Lodge."_

Meliell expected the letter to be from her parents. Noticing the contrary disappointed her. So there was something inside her father's signet ring and her mother's necklace ? She took the ring first : the initials of her father were engraved on it, the whole was gold. She was afraid of damaging it by opening it. So she pulled gently, and, after a click, saw the treasure hidden inside the ring. A photography. A very small family portrait. On the left was her father, on the right, her mother, and Meliell, still a baby, in the middle.

Her father had black hair, mid-length, which reached his shoulders. Generally, he tied them back in a ponytail. But on the photography, he had let them down. Badly shaved, as he was used to, he grinned from ear to ear. His happiness has readable in his deep blue eyes.

Her mother was red-haired. Unlike her husband, she had short hair, around ten centimeters, at the very most. Her head rested on her husband's, looking tenderly at her child. Both had the same deep brown, nearly black, eyes.

And she, in her mother's arms, her eyes wide opened, a huge smile on her lips, reached out to try to catch the camera.

In the pendant in the shape of a heart of her mother was an identical photograph. They seemed so happy in it. Why their family split up ? New tears flowed. What has she written some hours ago ? That regardless, life was well made ? No. Life was made. Neither well, nor badly made. Just Made. Life couldn't be judged.

She couldn't stop herself any longer. She had to set it all down on paper. Put in black and white her fears, her anxieties, her hopes, her laughters, and so much more.

All that to not omit them. Since of course, she'll bury most of her memories, those which made her suffer. It was too hard to live day after day with that on her conscience. Her conscience didn't managed to carry things too heavy. And her pleasant memories faded by themselves, in time.

She couldn't make up her mind to loose that forever. Because it was a part of her. And wounds never fully healed. When they reopened, questions gushed out of them. Her writings enabled her to answer to them.

One day, she will wonder how she reacted to the death of her parents. And then, as she'll want to face up to the memory of her parents, she'll read the trace she had written. Nothing more.

Remember. That's how she worked. She let her memories aside, and take them out again when they were needed.

In the margin, she wrote down songs she could add to the playlist of her iPod she had simply called "_ma vie_" ("_my life_"). Each melody added represented a new step in her life. It began by "_Somewhere_" of Within Temptation, expressing her desire to meet her parents again. But it was quickly followed by "_Easier To Run_" of Linkin Park, which often came back, like today. It lead to "_Boulevard Of Broken Dreams_" of Green Day, the title spoke of itself. Then there was "_Bad Reputation_" of Halfcocked, "_Stay Home_" of Self, "_Je Cours_" of Kyo, reflecting her aspiration for solitude. Recently, she had added "_Wishing you were somehow here again_" of the movie The Phantom Of The Opera, "_Falling Again_" of Lacuna Coil, and finally "_Time To Burn_" of the group The Rasmus. Thus, she would add "_Somewhere I Belong_" of Linkin Park. And why not "_Finally Woken_" of Jem ? After all, as Bon Jovi said, "_It's My Life_".


End file.
